The Path of Her Demise
by 101speedsketch
Summary: My own little twist on hwo Ghost Widow came to be the villainess we know today. Fair warning; this is my first story so don't be surprised if the facts seem way off. Rated T for deaths and minimal gore. IN PROGRESS.
1. Chapter 1

We all have our opposites. Yin and Yang. Life and Death. Good and Evil. Good almost always comes out the victor. Almost. This is the story of a young woman named Bella and how she became the woman she is today.

**Chapter 1: Names**

Bella shook her head at the antics of her little brother. The boy, James, was only half a year old and he was already running around at full speed. Normally, most of the others would have found him to be a bother, running into their legs, tugging at their clothes but they didn't mind at all. He was a source of joy and relaxation in the hectic headquarters. At the moment, James was running around Statesman's office, occasionally poking the large man in the calf. Statesman laughed and picked him up easily, placing him on his knee and bouncing him a little absent-mindedly as he went over some papers.

"And you're sure these are correct?" he asked Bella. James looked up at Statesman before making a face. A second later, the boy had transformed into a miniature version of Statesman, complete with cape and helmet. Both of them had exactly the same expression of determination on their faces and Bella couldn't help but laugh out loud. Statesman looked confused before looking down at the boy and laughing aloud himself.

"Yes sir, they're completely accurate."

"Please, it's Marcus. Well you're done here. If you'd like you can go speak to Synapse or Manticore and see if they've got something for you. And _you_," he said looking down at the boy with a smile, "I've got a special task for you. Think you can handle it?" James giggled and nodded. "Alright. Now you see, I've got this big bag of candy," Statesman said with mock exhaustion. He reached into a drawer and pulled out a large bag of sweets and chocolates with a fake groan, as if the bag was extremely heavy, and held them just out of the boy's reach. "But I'm not sure what to do with it. Would you mind eating it for me?" The little boy bounced and giggled loudly, before promptly sticking his thumb into his mouth. "Now remember, don't eat too much at one time!" James laughed loudly and wrapped his tiny arms as far around Statesman's massive arm as he could, the closest thing to a hug the little tyke could give. Statesman laughed fondly and gave the boy's helmet a gentle knock before passing him over to Bella.

"Thank you sir." Bella said before leaving.

"It's Marcus!" he called just before the door closed. Bella smiled to herself before setting little James down and walking with him to Synapse's office.

Bella wasn't a superhero at all. She did have powers but was unable to control them, and no amount of training could help. Her powers seemed to be temperamental, activating whenever they wished. Thus, she decided to drop out of the training program; it had been a difficult decision for her but she felt that if at all she became a superhero she'd be more of a liability than assistance during a battle or mission. She figured she'd be able to help out at home. After a particularly nasty encounter with some academy bullies, who had told her that her phantom-like powers were practically useless, her belief that she was useless on the field was only further cemented; Bella resolved to work as hard as she possibly could to make up for her inability.

She walked with her little brother, greeting the heroes she passed and unlatching her little brother from their legs; he had a bad habit of hugging anyone he saw. She smiled abashedly when her little brother grabbed Sister Psyche's leg and hugged her tightly.

"It's alright. I know it's a habit of his." She replied with a bright grin. She put a force-field around the boy and levitated him up to her level. "Hey little guy." She said softly. The force-field disappeared and the boy fell a short distance into Sister Psyche's waiting arms. She rubbed noses with him before tickling him a little and handing him over to Bella. "He's a darling." She commented fondly. "Running errands for Marcus?"

"Yep. I just finished actually. I was going over to Synapse's office."

"He'll be there momentarily. You can go and wait."

"Alright. Thanks!" Bella smiled before walking off with her brother in her arms. _How does she _do_ that?_ Bella thought; she always forgot Sister Psyche's power. Sister Psyche chuckled to herself before calling, "Sister _Psyche_, remember?" Bella blushed before quickly turning into Synapse's office and setting her little brother down.

Unlike Statesman's office, which was very blank with only a few photos, some newspaper clippings, several whiteboards with information and a map of the city, Synapse's office was much more homely. He had several photos of himself with a few children and a few with the local authorities. There was also a map of the city but unlike Statesman, who had marked out known villain hideouts, Synapse had highlighted the best pizzerias and fast food restaurants within three hundred miles of the headquarters. Bella giggled to herself, thinking of the many jokes that the hero would crack.

"Hey there! What can I do for ya?" Synapse said jovially. He walked over to his desk and reclined easily.

"Well I was running errands for Mr. Cole—"

"Just call him Marcus." Synapse interrupted. Bella continued with a smile.

"And I finished early. He told me to come to you and to Mr. Sinclair—"

"Justin." Synapse interrupted again with a grin.

With a sigh, she began again, "_Marcus_ told me to come to you and _Justin_ to see if either of you had any tasks for me."

"There! Ya see? It's not that hard."

Bella blushed before looking down at her feet. "You know I hate calling you guys by your first names." She muttered.

"Yeah why is that?" he asked her, genuinely curious.

"Just…I'm not good enough to. Maybe if I was a hero like you guys…but…" she trailed away. Synapse stood up and walked over to her. When she still didn't look up, he lifted her chin gently until she looked up at him. When she did, he gave a soft smile.

"You _are_ good enough. Listen if it really truly bugs you then I'll ask the others to let up on the first name thing alright? But please don't feel inferior to us because you're not. Just because I'm not as strong as Statesman doesn't mean I'm inferior but just because he isn't as fast as I am doesn't make me any more superior. It's the same with you and us. Just because you can't control your power doesn't make you inferior to us. Right?" he asked softly.

Bella smiled sweetly before nodding a little and whispering, "Right."

"Great. Well then!" he said rather loudly, hoping to get her to laugh a little, "Lemme see lemme see…nope I got nothin' for ya. If you want though you _could_ have dinner with me." He asked suggestively, giving a flirtatious smile. He moved to lean on the edge of his table but he purposefully missed, falling flat on his face and earning a loud giggle from the girl. _Mission accomplished_. He thought with a grin. He moved to get up, but James ran up to Synapse, poking his visor experimentally. The hero grinned before rolling over onto his back and pulling the toddler onto his chest.

"Hey! It's my favorite two year old!" He exclaimed, tickling the boy profusely, who proceeded to scream in mirth and squirm around. Synapse stopped tickling him and stood up, holding the boy in his arms. "So how are ya, lil hero?"

The boy simply blew a spit bubble in response. "I'll take that as a "Oh the all-powerful, extremely amazing Synapse, I'm doing fine! Thank you for asking how was your day?" Synapse said.

"You got all that from a spit bubble?" Bella asked with a giggle.

"What can I say? I'm good with kids. Alright lil hero," Synapse said with a grin. "think you can beat me in another race? I gotta warn ya Ive been practicing." James giggled before standing up straight and scrunching up his face; soon he looked like a miniature version of Synapse. Without preamble, the little boy took off down the hallway, scampering around only a little faster than usual. The wandering heroes, who were used to this, knew he was having a race and therefore didn't stop him, simply smiling at him as he passed. Synapse pretended to lose, saying, "Wait up lil hero!" He sprinted back to Bella and said, "Wait here 'kay? I'll be back in a sec…give or take." And with that, he disappeared. Before Bella could even sit down, Synapse had returned with a huge teddy bear. "For when he wins." He explained.

"Has _any_one every beaten you?" She asked, a little curious.

"Sure! Your little brother has done it loads of times!" he replied jovially before running off to lag behind the boy. He lagged behind to keep an eye on him and make sure he didn't hurt himself. After about ten minutes the two returned, baby clutching the teddy bear and hero clutching the baby. Synapse handed Mr. Sinclair and see if he has anything for me to do."

Synapse looked like he was about to interrupt but remembering their conversation he let it go; he didn't expect her to go on a first name basis with them immediately. It would take time for the girl to be that comfortable. Synapse nodded and opened the door for her, heading out himself. The two parted in opposite directions, Synapse heading towards the cafeteria and Bella heading towards Manticore's office.

Hardly thirty seconds later, Synapse appeared right up beside her and said, "Think about what I said alright?" He gave her a kiss on the cheek and ran off. Bella was used to his physical nature but she still blushed at the contact; she'd never dated before and such contact was unfamiliar ground for her so she was unsure of how to act. She knew he couldn't hear her, being so far away, so she simply nodded to herself and headed towards Manticore's office. A few minutes later she knocked on his door before walking in.

Manticore had his head down on the table, surrounded by papers. He seemed to be quite sick. Bella, instantly worried, thought about whether or not she should call Sister Psyche but decided that it would be better for her to try and help now rather than running around looking for the psychic hero.

"Mr. Sinclair?" Bella said timidly. Even her brother had gone silent, sucking on his thumb. "Mr. Sinclair?" Bella said again, shaking Manticore a little. She began to get extremely worried when the hero let out a snore. Bella snickered a little. _He's not sick! He's asleep!_ She felt bad for waking him but she had to do it.

"Mr. Sinclair? Sir?" Bella said a little more loudly, shaking his shoulder a little harder. Manticore awoke with a start, sitting up straight and looking around quickly.

"Yes? What is it?" he asked her, as if he'd been awake the whole time.

"Well three things."

"Go on."

"One," Bella reached out and pulled a piece of paper off his cheek. Manticore simply looked at her before arranging a few more papers. "and two, judging by all these papers I'm guessing you need some help?"

"It would be welcome, yes. Thank you. And the third?"

"Is it alright if I keep my little brother in here? I don't want him to be a distraction to you."

"Yes that's fine." He muttered before half-heartedly waving to the little tyke, who continued to suck his thumb with a grin. He reached his hands out towards Manticore, who sighed and took him from Bella. He balanced James on his lap and continued to work but Bella took the files from him.

"You need a break sir. I'm guessing you've been up all night. I'll work on these and you play with him."

"It's Justin. And since when do you give the orders around here?" Manticore asked.

"Since I got more sleep than you did." Bella replied with a grin.

"I'd listen to her, Justin." A female voice said behind Bella. Both looked up to see Ms. Liberty leaning against the doorway with a smile. James saw her and immediately laughed reaching out towards her. Out of all the heroes, Ms. Liberty was his absolute favorite. She was the second closest thing to a parent he had (his sister was the first) and Ms. Liberty loved him back just as much. She loved to babysit him whenever she had the chance and sometimes, she would even ask Bella if she could spend time with the boy.

"Hey you!" she said in a high pitched baby voice. Both baby and hero ran toward each other and when they were close enough, she picked him up and spun him in a circle before kissing his cheeks. "How's my handsome little hero doing today?"

"Handsome little hero got a bag of candy from Mr. Cole, a little force-field ride from Mrs. Sinclair, and got to race Mr. Berry." Bella summed up with a smile at the baby. James grinned and cuddled into Ms. Liberty's neck causing her to giggle and rub his back affectionately.

"Hey Ms. Cole?" Bella asked.

"It's Jessica dear. Yes?" she responded. Bella tried to not let herself be bugged by the first name issue but she knew Synapse would talk to them soon enough. "I'm helping Mr. Sinclair with these papers. Do you have anything for me to do?"

"Hmm…not at the moment. Why? Did Daddy run you of things for you to do?"

"Exactly." Bella replied with a smile.

"Well you're a fast worker I'll give you that." She replied with a wink, hoisting the boy up higher. "Well we're all having a luncheon. Why don't you come up there with us?"

"No I couldn't—" Bella began to protest.

"Are we going?" Manticore asked. He walked up to the door and opened it for the two women.

"No honestly I'd love to but—" she tried to say but Ms. Liberty cut her off.

"Come _on_! It'll be fine trust me. It's not like we're strangers to you or anything. I mean you _have_ worked with all of us before, haven't you?" Ms. Liberty asked her, letting James play with her long hair.

"That's true…I mean am I—am I allowed?"

"Of course you are. There are no restrictions to a cafeteria. Truth be told even the novices can come eat with us. But for some reason they don't. Can't imagine why…" Manticore said, seriously confused as to why trainees wouldn't join them.

"They're afraid. Duh." Ms. Liberty said with a grin. "Come on don't you be afraid too!" Bella sighed and nodded before following the heroes to the cafeteria. As they walked, Bella observed Ms. Liberty's figure and compared it to her own, grimacing at the results of the comparison.

"Don't do that." A voice said beside her. Bella jumped a little before realizing it was Sister Psyche.

"Don't do what?"

"Compare yourself to us." She replied.

"Oh…" Bella said, extremely put off. Was she that bad?

"No! No no no that's not what I meant. I'm sorry I should have worded my sentence differently. I didn't mean you aren't worthy enough I simply meant that friends don't compare themselves to each other. Yes we're _aware_ of the differences but that is all they are; differences. We can't base our separate relationships simply on those." She rectified herself. Bella smiled a little and made a hard effort to not make any more comparisons.

"So how has your day been?"

"Rather easy. Mr. Cole didn't have anything else for me to do so he sent me off the Mr. Sinclair and to Mr. Berry. Mr. Berry didn't have anything and I was about to get started on Mr. Sinclair's work when I was—wait don't you already know all of this?"

"Well yes but I'd like to make conversation with you." Sister Psyche said with a grin. Bella grinned back before continuing. "Then I was invited to the luncheon. How was your day?"

"It was fantastic. Surprisingly no crime reports today. Ah well. I suppose that's why you didn't have much to do. How is your little brother?"

"He's doing fine. He loves those little rides in your force-fields, ma'am."

"Must you do that?"

"I'm gonna guess and say you're talking about my whole 'Mr. ms. Ma'am' thing right?"

"Well yes. We aren't your bosses you know. You work _with_ us not _for _us."

"I know it's just...I feel like…you know as if…" Bella stammered. Sister Psyche stopped her by the shoulders and turned Bella to face her. "Can you read my mind right now? I'm a little embarrassed saying it out loud."

After a second or two, Sister Psyche shook her head with a smile. "You aren't. You're our friend not our servant. I couldn't help but notice Steven's bit of advice. I agree with him. Call us what you will but please.._do _feel free to call us by our first names. As I said before, you're our friend now our servant."

Bella smiled and felt her heart warm up for the second time that day. Sister Psyche smiled back and gave her a hug before walking quickly to catch up with Manticore and Ms. Liberty, both of whom were so busy coddling the boy, they hadn't noticed the others' absence.

In a matter of minutes, the group reached the cafeteria to find Synapse already there, setting up plates and the likes at a leisurely pace. He looked up and a smile lit his face seeing Bella and her brother.

"Hey! Lil hero!" the boy laughed and cooed and Ms. Liberty looked playfully affronted.

"You just stole my line, Steven."

"What line?"

"Little hero! He's _my_ little hero!" she said with a smile. Synapse grinned and said, "No he's _my_ lil hero!"

"Mine!"

"No, mine!"

"No, mine!"

James' face moved back and forth between the two, as if we were watching a tennis match. Sister Psyche intervened. "Who's brother is he?" Ms. Liberty and Synapse paused, looking at each other, before slumping together in defeat and saying dejectedly, "Bella's." Bella grinned and helped set up the plates. Statesman arrived and ruffled James' hair before seating himself down at the table. The rest joined and Bella meekly sidled into a chair between Synapse and Statesman. Synapse nudged her and gave her a grin while Sister Psyche gave her and encouraging smile from across the table.

Bella soon relaxed. She'd been thinking that she was invited out of pure formality and that once she got there, she'd be ignored. This, however, was not the case. Statesman constantly asked Bella random questions to include her in the conversation while Synapse told funny jokes and stories when she was done responding to keep her laughing. Bella laughed at one of Synapse's stories before delving into her own.

"So, Bella tell us about your family." Statesman asked. He knew her least of the group and was curious to know her better.

"Well you've all met him." She said. The group gave a chuckle, glancing at the boy (currently in Sister Psyche's arms) before looking back to Bella.

"Well yes and he's a joy," Statesman said with a smile. "But I was talking about your parents? What do they do? And do you have any siblings?"

Bella's stomach clenched. Should she tell them? After all Sister Psyche _did_ say they were friends and friends didn't lie to each other. She settled on the truth, knowing Sister Psyche would be able to tell if she was lying anyway.

"They umm…they died...about a year ago. James and I are all that's left." She muttered quietly. The table had gone deathly quiet.

"I'm—I'm sorry." Statesman stammered. If he had any idea he would never have even touched upon the subject.

"It was a fire." Bella continued, as if she hadn't heard Statesman at all. She was staring at a certain point on the table, but she could still feel everyone's eyes on her. Calculating. Judging.

_No. Comforting. They're my friends. Remember what Sister Psyche said._

They were eager to know more yet unsure of how to ask. "I'd taken James out with me for a walk. I heard an explosion and went to go see what it was. I see my apartment building and right as I arrived I saw them jump. The twelfth floor. They fell straight down. I couldn't let James see so I covered his eyes. They landed in front of me. Mom and Dad. They were just…just lying there. The medical units came around and I see my two older sisters half burned by the flames. I stood there for the longest time. Mom and Dad. Gone." Bella finished and though tears were pouring out of her eyes, her voice did not waver once.

"I had nowhere else to go. I thought I'd take James somewhere safe, somewhere he'd never be hurt. And I looked around and saw the Headquarters. The next thing I knew I was standing inside, applying to the academy. I failed dismally and dropped out and applied for a job. A few of the people on the waitlist jumped off and the next thing I know I'm working for Mr. Cole." She finished lamely. Everyone was completely frozen, shocked by this new insight into their coworkers life. Synapse wrapped his arm around Bella and hugged her gently. Statesman unhooked his cape and wrapped it around Bella, who gave a watery smile and hugged Synapse back.

"So…what's your favorite color?" Manticore asked. Bella sniffled and laughed a little. They had gone from such a serious topic to such a basic question.

"Probably blue." Bella responded feeling much better. Synapse hissed a loud, "Yes!" and punched the air as a sign of victory.

"I see. I prefer red." Statesman said with a grin.

"I can tell." Bella replied holding up the red cape with a smile.

They continued to joke around the happy mood returning with each laugh. Little James constantly returned to Ms. Liberty's lap cuddling with her. Ms. Liberty and Synapse began to playfully bicker about who the boy loved move while Sister Psyche caught Bella's eye and discreetly tapped the side of her head. Bella nodded and pretended to watch the bickering with interest.

_**Are you alright?**_

_Yeah I just…it took a lot out of me._

_**I understand. And you're right about one thing.**_

_What's that?_

_**We will never be calculating or judging with you at a time like that. We'd be comforting you.**_

_Thanks…Shalice._

Both girls made eye contact once more, a wide happy grin on Sister Psyche's face and a small but confident one on Bella's.__


	2. Chapter 2

AN: So…I'm COMPLETELY new to this whole City of Heroes thing. I've played it once or twice at a friend's house and that's it. I figured I'd put my own lil spin on Ghost Widow's story.

Hope you like it. Btw…if you don't have any useful critiques…then kindly don't write a nasty review. This is my first time and I'm COMPLETELY uneducated in this stuff so bear with me.

**Chapter 2: Something's Up**

The luncheon was over and yet the heroes were still there, laughing and joking around. Even Manticore had cracked a smile or two. The bell sounded, alerting the group that nighttime had fallen. Curfew was upon them and it was time for Bella and James to get home. Synapse offered to run them home but Bella declined, saying, "I don't want your suit to get covered in puke."

Ms. Liberty piped up. Manticore had the misfortune to sit right next to her so when she jumped up he crossed his arms sullenly and put his face in his hand, letting out an audible groan. Ms. Liberty slapped him on the arm before resuming her excited expression.

"Why don't you and James stay here for the night? You could room with me or Shalice!"

"I don't mind one bit." Sister Psyche said with a warm smile.

"I believe all of us would be happy to have you here. Do you require anything from your home?" Statesman asked kindly.

"Uhmm…no…"

"Why the hesitation?" Synapse asked with a grin.

"Foster home…" she muttered silently. Synapse looked at her dumbly before reaching over and slapping Statesman on the arm, who spluttered something unintelligible.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"You ask the dumbest things at the wrongest times." Synapse scolded.

"Wrongest isn't a word." Statesman said slowly.

"It came out of my mouth didn't it?" Synapse said without missing a beat. Statesman rolled his eyes while Bella giggled. James' head was beginning to nod; the boy was valiantly struggling to stay awake but exhaustion was taking it's toll. He needed sleep. From Synapse's arms, the boy sleepily crawled up on the table (which had long since been cleared), crawled over to Ms. Liberty, and fell asleep in her arms. She smiled fondly and kissed his cheeks and forehead before using her cape as a blanket for him.

"Are you sure you don't need anything?" Sister Psyche urged. Bella thought before shaking her head.

"Great! You can room with me!" Ms. Liberty quietly exclaimed, immediately hushing up when the sleeping toddler moved a little. She stood up, the other heroes copying her and as they left, they bid Bella a good night. Sister Psyche gave her another hug and Statesman who was last to leave, pulled her aside, apologizing again for bringing up her family and home. When Bella assured him it was alright, he smiled, gave her a hug and bid her good night as well.

"Ready?" Ms. Liberty asked quietly.

"Yep." Bella whispered back. Together the girls walked back to Ms. Liberty's room, the hero constantly kissing James and fixing his "blanket" lovingly. "Can I ask you something?" Bella said quietly.

"Sure." Ms. Liberty responded with a smile, opening the door to her room. She placed the boy on the bed and tucked him in kissing his cheeks yet again and rubbing noses with him before turning to Bella.

"Don't take this the wrong way but…how come you're so motherly towards him? Not that I mind."

"You know I haven't the faintest idea. He's just so darn cute I can't resist cuddling with him!" Ms. Liberty said with a grin. She took Bella by the arms and hovered out of the bedroom. "The floorboards creak. I didn't want him to wake up." She explained. Bella nodded understandingly.

"Well. Here's my room!" Ms. Liberty said brightly, gesturing around. "Feel free to look around. Make yourself at home." While Bella looked around at the photos, Ms. Liberty took off her boots and cape, placing the boots beside her bed and the hanging the cape on a hook behind the door.

"Who's this?" Bella asked, pointing at a certain picture. There was a little girl dressed exactly like Ms. Liberty. Both were pulling the same pose and grinning at the camera. When Ms. Liberty came over, she smiled and said, "That's little Jessica, my biggest fan. Imagine what she'd do if she found out her name and mine are exactly the same." She said with a grin.

Ms. Liberty flew Bella into the bedroom where the girls sat, gossiping like high school girls about random things until the heroine stifled a yawn. Bella smiled and said, "We should sleep. We wouldn't want you to be groggy tomorrow."

"Why what's tomorrow?"

"Your handsome little hero turns three tomorrow."

Ms. Liberty gave a nearly inaudible squeal and clapped her hands softly. "Oh how exciting!"

"Yep. I'm proud of him."

"You should be. He's the perfect little brother. More than anything a girl could ask for." She said fondly before reaching over and kissing his forehead. Ms. Liberty made to fly up to the top bed but Bella grabbed her feet and pulled her down. "What is it?"

"I know you'll be up all night anyway, so you can take the bottom bunk and I'll take the top."

Ms. Liberty grinned widely and nodded ever so gently cuddling James to her chest and lightly brushing his hair with her soft fingers. Bella smiled before climbing into the top bed and closing her eyes a smile upon her lips. For the first time in months, she had a dreamless sleep.

Bella's eyes fluttered open and she found herself laying on her back looking up…right into Ms. Liberty's face. Bella sat up straight colliding heads with the heroine. While Bella massaged her aching forehead, Ms. Liberty was hovering around her room happily, as if she hadn't felt the collision at all. _Of course she didn't. She's made of friggin' titanium. _

"You're in a happy mood."

"Duh! It's his _birthday_!" she said quietly; James was still asleep.

"Yeah I know. Now quit flying around like that you're making me dizzy."

"Ooh I'm so excited!" Ms. Liberty squealed, as if she hadn't heard her. Bella groaned; clearly she wasn't a morning person.

"Hey can I take a shower in here?"

"Yeah of course!"

"Thanks." Bella said with a smile, before disappearing into the bathroom. She came back out a few seconds later, saying, "I don't have any fresh clothes…or a towel."

"You can use mine. I don't mind."

"Yeah but what about the clothes?"

"Yeah I know…you can use mine. I don't mind." She repeated.

"Uhm…no offense but…Isn't it kinda wrong for me to be running around in _your_ costume? I mean that would be like you running around in Manticore's costume." Bella giggled at the thought while Ms. Liberty shuddered.

"Yeah lemme show you my wardrobe. You can take your pick from there. You're about the same size as me." She said with a grin. She hovered over to the closet and reached all the way back. She slid the several costumes she had all the way around until the regular day clothing was revealed. Bella took her pick and rushed off into the bathroom. She came out dressed in office attire that fit her extremely well considering the clothes weren't hers.

"Ow ow." A male voice said. Bella turned to see Synapse there, playing with a now awake James. Both he and Ms. Liberty were coddling him and he was clearly _loving_ the attention.

"Well thanks. I'm glad you approve. Now I know who to come to before getting dressed every morning." Bella replied with a smirk. Synapse began to laugh loudly and James, not knowing what was funny decided to laugh anyway for the sake of laughing. The smirk slid off of Bella's face and she muttered, "Oh you're sick. I should take my little brother away before you corrupt him with your disgusting mentality."

Ms. Liberty gasped. "But _I_ didn't do _any_thing!" she whined. James crawled over to her and pulled a pouty face, causing Ms. Liberty to fall over with a case of giggles and kisses. Synapse, having controlled his laughter sat up straight and said, "Ah come on the lil guy loves me, don'tcha?" Synapse asked, ruffling James' hair, who giggled and grabbed his hand playfully.

"Hey Jessica? Can I use your make up?"

"Sure!"

"But ya don't need any!" Synapse said with a grin. Bella shook her head at his constant flirting and sat down at the dresser, putting some make up on very quickly before stepping back out. "I repeat: Ow ow."

"Oh stop it." Bella said, with a blush that the makeup couldn't hide. "Alright, well I suppose I'll get back to work. I'll be in Mr. Co—" She saw Synapse's face and it was evident that he'd forgotten to talk to Statesman about her little issue. "_Marcus_'s office." Bella amended. After blowing a kiss to James, she waved goodbye to the two heroes and stepped out.

"Good Morning Marcus." Bella said when she entered his office, feeling weird when she said his first name.

"Well good morning! Did you sleep well?"

"Very well. Is it alright if I just call you Mr. Cole? It just feels weird calling you Marcus."

"If you insist." Statesman replied with a smile. "Now, I've got a few files that need to be run down to the Security office. I'd ask Synapse but he seems to have disappeared."

"He's with Jessica. They're playing with James."

"Ah yes. Turns three today doesn't he?" Statesman replied with a grin.

"Yep!" Bella said with a smile. "Will you be coming to the party? You're invited of course."

"Of course I will. Where and when?"

"In the lunchroom where we sat yesterday. Say around eight?" Bella replied with a smile.

"I shall be in the lunchroom at eight pm sharp." Statesman replied with a grin. Bella smiled and took the files from him, leaving to go down to security. She arrived about twenty minutes later, and smiled when she saw Sister Psyche inside handing over a few files before turning. A pleasant smile lit on her face when she saw Bella.

"Well good morning. How was your night?"

"You already know the answer."

"I do but I'd like to make conversation with you."

"Amazing. The first dreamless sleep in months."

"I'm glad. Hmm I see James is turning three today."

"That he is. Will you be coming?"

"Eight o' clock in the cafeteria is it?"

"Yep."

"I'll be there with a little something for the boy." Sister Psyche replied mysteriously, winking at Bella before walking off. Bella smiled and delivered the files, receiving a few more files to carry back to him, and some for Manticore. Bella walked to Statesman's office, pleasantly greeting the heroes she passed. Some of them whom she did not know simply smiled and nodded which she returned in kind but some of the more open friendlier ones, particularly the psychic ones, wished James a Happy Birthday and stopped to make small talk with her before going their ways. She smiled to herself and got into the elevator. Just as the door was closing, a gloved hand poked through, stopping it from closing. Foreshadow stepped through, smiling at Bella before standing and looking up at the level indicator.

"Hey you're Foreshadow right?" Bella asked, uncertainly. She'd heard about the hero and had only seem glimpses of him but wasn't too sure of his name. Foreshadow turned to her, frowning a little in confusion.

"Your name. Foreshadow, right?"

Foreshadow nodded, curling his hands into fists and getting immediately suspicious. Bella ignored it and continued, "I'm Bella. I work for Statesman." The hero's name immediately relaxed Foreshadow, who relaxed his hands and turned to her. He bowed a little to her and Bella, who knew enough about the culture, bowed lower than he did. When she straightened, Bella held out her hand and said, "I'm Bella."

Foreshadow seemed to be deep in thought. The bell rang and the two of them exited the elevator, both heading towards Statesman's office. Foreshadow finally spoke up, albeit haltingly.

"You…not hero?" Bella shook her head. His voice was similar to Synapse's but while Synapse had a confident, carefree ring to it, Foreshadow's was more cautious and soft but no less determined. "Why?" He asked her, adjusting his jacket.

"Uhmm…My powers," Bella flexed her arm, then moved her hand upward in imitation of flight to signify powers, "don't always work," she randomly opened and closed her fist, hoping he would understand.

Foreshadow thought a little before saying, "So one time," and he sent a small blue burst of energy that faded almost instantly. "And no time," he said, imitating the same move btu this time no ball of energy came out. Bella nodded, glad that he'd understood the idea. By now they had arrived at Statesman's office and he opened the door for her. Bella smiled and walked in, saying, "You've got a visitor Mr. Cole."

"Who is it?" Statesman asked, not looking up. Foreshadow spoke up.

"Statesman." He said in a heavy accent. Statesman looked up before grinning widely and standing up. Both he and Foreshadow bowed to each other before shaking hands and sitting down. Bella handed Statesman the files and made to leave when Foreshadow stood up and bowed to her. Bella bowed back and waved at him as she left. _What a nice guy._ She thought as she walked to Manticore's office. She walked in and found Manticore researching something.

"Did you get a good night's rest Mr. Sinclair?"

"I told you it's Justin. And yes I did. Thank you. What are these?"

"Files from the security office. They asked me to send them up to you."

"Ah thank you."

"Hey I also wanted to ask a favor of you." Bella began timidly.

"Yes?" Manticore asked, ceasing work to look at her. This made her a bit more nervous.

"So today is James' birthday. I was wondering if you could come to the party?" Manticore sighed deeply. Bella persisted, deciding to speak her mind fully.

"Sir…if I may…all family is invited and…well it would seem bad if everyone but you showed up."

"Family?" Manticore said, thoroughly confused.

"Well…yes…you and the others are all we have left now. You're the closest to a family we have even if we only work with you." Bella replied honestly. She wondered why she was being so mushy with _Manticore_ of all people. That seemed like the kind of thing she'd say to Statesman or to Sister Psyche!

Manticore seemed to have decided. "Where is it?" Bella's face lit up and Manticore gave her one of his rare smiles.

"It's in the cafeteria where we ate yesterday and it's at eight o' clock pm. Thank you so much sir!" Bella squealed before running out happily, slamming the door behind her. Manticore rolled his eyes and held up a folder, staring at the doorway. A few seconds later, the door opened very slowly and Bella tiptoed in, her eyes downcast but trying (and failing) to repress a very happy grin. "To Synapse." Manticore said. "And please don't slam my door on the way out." As the door closed, Manticore heard Bella giggle.

Bella walked as fast as she could to Ms. Liberty's room, knocking on the door and charging in when it opened.

"Jessica I feel—mmm!" she cried out when Synapse's hand clamped over her mouth. He shushed her and pointed at the bedroom where James' lay napping. She nodded and Synapse took his hand away but didn't move any further away from her face.

"Now what's all this yelling about?" he asked quietly.

"I just wanted to tell Jessica that her happiness is really contagious and that I'm just as excited about the pee—a—arr—tee—why as she is and that I haven't been this excited about his pee—a—arr—tee—why since last year and that it's going to be so much fun and—" Synapse put his fingers to Bella's lips, shaking his head.

"You talk too much you know that?" he whispered, touching foreheads with her.

"Look who's talking." Bella whispered back just as slowly. She was aware of how close they were, of his hands that were sliding down in between her arms and around her waist. She felt him pull her body closer.

"I don't talk that much." He whispered back.

"Yes you do." She murmured.

"Do not." He sighed, touching noses with Bella.

"Do too." Bella closed her eyes, wanting to kiss him. He leaned in closer…

Closer…

Then Bella's brain kicked in. She stuck the folder in between their lips right at the last second blushing till she was redder than a tomato.

"Manticore t—told me to…give you t—this f—f—file." She stammered extremely nervous about his reaction. She expected him to be angry with her but he gently let her go and smiled, taking the file.

"I'm sorry." He said, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. 'I shouldn't have come onto you like that."

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have led you on. All though I don't even know what I was doing."

"Wait…have you ever been kissed?" Synapse asked, genuinely curious.

"Am I that obvious?" she groaned.

"Only a little." Synapse replied with a grin. Bella groaned again, making Synapse chuckle. "I really am sorry though."

"I told you. Don't be it was sorta my fault."

"How about we go get some cake with Jessica and feel sorry for ourselves?"

"Why what happened?"

"Well she just bumped into that asian guy—"

"Foreshadow!" Bella admonished, horrified that Synapse would refer to another hero as "that asian guy".

"Yeah whatever. She just tried hitting on him and he didn't understand a word. Turns out he was just nodding the whole time, didn't even get what she was saying." Synapse snickered and Bella slapped him across the arm.

"Awe that's terrible!"

"I know right? The hell does she see in him?"

"Steven! I'll thank you to not curse in front of my brother."

"Eh he's asleep."

"Still!"

"Alright alright. Sheesh."

"Alright. Go find her and we'll all go to the kitchens."

"I'll go as fast as I can!" Synapse said before turning and walking out of the door, whistling a tune. Bella rolled her eyes and threw a shoe at him. He laughed and took off, returning about ten seconds later and saying, "She's already there."

"You toured the entire building in like three friggin' seconds!"

"More like ten and I didn't go through the whole building but hey let's go with what you said…makes me sound cooler."

"Alright. Let's go then!"

"Wait! What about James?"

"Umm…you could leave him with Shalice. She loves the lil hero." He said with a grin. His entire body seemed to fade a little before returning back to normal.

"She's in her office." Synapse added. Suddenly, an explosion sounded outside. Synapse immediately tensed. Another explosion, only closer. "No time. You stay with James. We'll go figure this out." As Synapse ran off, Bella heard a mechanical voice behind her yell, "Duck!"

Without thinking, Bella dropped on the floor, just as something large passed over her. She looked up to see Positron flying as fast as he could down the hallway. Statesman appeared a few moments later, stopping to help her up.

"Are you alright? What about James?"

"Yes we're—we're fine. Just a little shaken up. You should go." She added to Statesman, who nodded and ran off without a word. She ran back into Jessica's apartment grabbed the boy, and took off. Jessica came flying around the corner at top speed, halting when she saw the two of them alright.

"Oh thank god you're alright!" She flew into her room, grabbed her cape and took off, clasping it on as she went. Bella was worried for them but knew they wouldn't sustain anymore injuries than a few bumps on the head and a scratch or two. She ran down to the medical ward (one of the safest locations as it was somewhere in the middle of the building.) and grabbed several supplies before heading out. She ran back up to the conference room, knowing that's where all the heroes would meet. She sat there, cooing and comforting the toddler telling him that Synapse and Ms. Liberty would be back very shortly. She heard several large explosions and a bit of gun fire before everything fell silent after an hour. She waited anxiously, not knowing whether the silence was a good thing or a bad thing. _No no no they're heroes! Of course they won they _had_ to!_

When she heard the conference door open, she turned with a grin on her face. They were all alive and well. Severely bruised and a few were limping but they were alive.

Statesman walked in and smiled weakly. He was sporting a black eye and was clutching his side, a fistful of his cape was covering that patch of his side, limping a little on his right leg. Sister Psyche was gripping her head painfully and Bella knew that the enemy must have used some sort of sonic weapon. Ms. Liberty was a bruise on her cheek and a few scratches on her thighs but that was all. She seemed to be smoking a little. Synapse had a small cut on his cheek and was rubbing his right arm a little. Manticore wasn't injured at all. He must have stayed on the sidelines, shooting arrows at the oncoming enemies or else doing something to hold off the explosions. Positron was completely fine aside from some tiny scratches on his armor which would buff out in no time. Foreshadow however seemed to have sprained his wrist; he was clutching it close to his chest to avoid any accidental bumps.

"What happened?"

"Recluse." Statesman spat. Bella gasped a little. The feared and mighty villain here? So close to them? It didn't make sense.

"Yeah and he brought a few of his baddies with him." Synapse said. "Darn Arachnos." He muttered darkly. The others nodded.

"They fought dirty." Ms. Liberty complained, earning murmurs of agreement from the others. "I didn't think they'd gang up on people and use traps like those!"

"What traps?"

"They got a lot smarter," Ms. Liberty explained. They started ganging up on me and pushing me back in a corner. Then one of them jumped out from behind me and threw a net over me. I figured I could tear right through it but it was an electric net and the voltage was _extremely_ high." This explained why she was smoking.

"They didn't get smarter at all. They just planned this one more carefully." Statesman interjected. "Recluse did get stronger though. His punches have never affected me the way they do now."

"He wasn't any stronger at all." Manticore spoke up. "You were doing most of the fighting, trying to get it over with as soon as possible so naturally you wore yourself out. That's why he seemed stronger to you." The others nodded at the logic.

"I know it's not my place but can I say something?"

"Of course you can. Another mind on what happened is always welcome." Sister Psyche said.

"Well it's just…I haven't been paying much attention to these things but…Haven't you guys always had to go all the way to Rogue Isles to even get near Recluse? And sometimes he isn't even there. So why would he take the effort to come all the way out here with his guys to fight you guys? And even then by the looks of it he didn't bring any big baddies just some ordinary soldiers."

The group was quiet for a while, pondering the new information. "I dunno it just seems really random of him to fight you guys and then disappear."

"Yeah, " Synapse spoke up, "It was really Recluse of him." He said pronouncing the villain's name so it sounded more like 'reckless'. No one laughed; even James was silent, looking around at the serious faced heroes.

"It seemed like a distraction." Bella said softly. She stood up and grabbed the bandages, and began to work on the heroes. Statesman hissed a little when she applied the rubbing alcohol to clean the wound and began to bandage him up. She handed him an icepack for his eye and moved on.

"Well yes, that's what I was thinking…but why?" Sister Psyche spoke up. Once Bella was done with him she went over to Sister Psyche and gave her a few pain medications for her head. The hero accepted them with a word of thanks and sat back in her chair heavily. While the group sat there, Bella gave another ice pack to Ms. Liberty who accepted it gratefully, sighing when the cold touched her bruise. Bella knelt and began to place bandages over the cuts on the heroine's thighs.

"Perhaps he wanted to frighten the citizens. Make them think that if he can invade Paragon once with a small force he can do it again with a larger force." Statesman said.

"That's the most likely thing for him to do." Manticore agreed.

Bella handed Synapse an icepack for his arm and placed a bandage over his cheek. He smiled at her and she smiled back with a blush before moving to Positron. "Do you need anything, Doctor?"

"I'm fine thank you for asking." Positron responded kindly. She smiled and turned to Manticore but he shook his head wordlessly. She smiled and moved to Foreshadow, very gently taking him by the forearm and extending his arm out. He hissed a little and winced as she slowly slide a brace onto his wrist. She tightened the straps little by little, constantly looking up at him to see if it was alright. Once the brace was finished she placed a bandage over a tiny cut on his forehead and smiled at him. Foreshadow smiled back and Bella moved back to her spot.

"Hey what time is it?" Synapse asked.

"It's 3 pm why?" Statesman said with a knowing smirk.

"Just wondering." Synapse said. "Well I should get going. Lotsa files to deal with. See you guys around!" and with that, he left holding the ice pack to his arm. Bella shook her head at his carefree attitude but was secretly glad for it. The heroes needed someone like Synapse to relieve the tension that could get piled up.

"Well if the meeting's over then I'll be on my way too." Manticore said, hefting his bow and quiver before walking off.

The others left as well, saying they had much work that needed to be done; Ms. Liberty kissed the little boy lovingly before hovering off, thanking Bella for her administrations. Statesman and the rest thanked her as well.

"Get some rest, Bella. You look a little tired." Statesman advised before leaving with a smile.

AN: Alright. Chapter 2. I'm not sure how long I'll make this because my idea is really good but it doesn't help when you don't know many facts about it. Again I know _SOMEONE_ out there is gonna be all bitchy and say, "YOU DON'T KNOW SHIT ABOUT COH!" yeah well fuck you. First time faggot. As always USEFUL, POSITIVE critiques are welcome.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Chapter 3! I just feel like getting this story outta my system. I don't really care if anyone reads it lol. I know it's going rather slow but that's the point. James' birthday and perhaps a few more fights.

**Chapter 3: Birthday Surprise**

It was now six pm and though Bella went to everyone's office for any sort of work, they all shook their heads, saying they had taken care of it all. Bella smiled and said she'd be with Jessica if they needed her for something.

She was walking back to Ms. Liberty's room when she spotted Foreshadow stepping out of Synapse's room (whom he was rooming with). He smiled and bowed at her and she bowed back in response.

"How your hand?" she asked. Foreshadow cocked his head to one side and Bella held up her hand, pointing at his with her other. Foreshadow smiled when he understood and nodded, giving her the thumbs up signal. She beckoned him and led him to Jessica's room where James currently was. When Bella arrived at the door, she could hear the girl whooping playfully and the baby laughing away to glory. She opened the door to see Ms. Liberty tossing the boy up in the air and catching him, making him giggle and squeal with laughter.

"Hey Bella!" Ms. Liberty called, not looking up. She rubbed noses with the little boy before kissing his cheek.

"Hey. Foreshadow wants to meet James. Mind if I borrow him for a little?"

"Sure he's your little brother!" Jessica said happily, handing the boy over and grabbing her icepack on the way out. She leaned against the doorway and smiled at Foreshadow who smiled back and bowed.

"Bow back." Bella whispered to Jessica, who straightened up at once and bowed. He smiled and held out his left hand. When Jessica took it he said, "Foreshadow."

"Jessica."

"Jessica?" Foreshadow repeated, confirming the pronunciation. She nodded and Bella smiled, holding up her little brother, who giggled.

"James."

"James." Foreshadow repeated gently tapping the little boy's nose before ruffling his hair with his good hand. Jessica took James in and continued to play and Bella took a deep breath; explaining James' birthday and inviting Foreshadow was going to be a pain. She grinned and pulled out a calendar.

"James." She said pointing at the day before with two fingers. "James." She said again, pointing at the current day with three fingers. Foreshadow squinted at the calendar before chuckling and saying, "Birthday?"

"Yeah! Will you come to his party?"

Foreshadow shook his head in a confused manner before holding up a finger and pulling out a dictionary. Bella repeated her words a few times until he understood and asked her after a few more seconds, "When? Where?"

She held up eight fingers and said, "Lunch room." Foreshadow nodded and smiled before walking off.

Bella walked back into the room where Ms. Liberty was currently cuddling and kissing the baby.

"What was that about?"

"Invite."

"Ohhhhhhhhh." Jessica said knowingly, winking at Bella before snuggling with James. "Oh he's so cute!"

Jessica was currently sitting on the bed with her legs crossed and a massive comforter around her. James was sitting in her lap with her arms around him her head next to his. She was reading a children's book to him, all the while kissing and snuggling with him.

"You know I think the only one closer to him than you is me. I mean if people didn't know they'd probably call you his sister not me." Bella commented. She pulled the other end of the comforter around her and moved to check the bandages on Ms. Liberty's thighs. One of them was coming off, and she'd carelessly held it down with a piece of tape. Bella replaced the bandage and ruffled her brother's hair before stretching back with a relaxing sigh.

"Long day?"

"Not really. Although I shouldn't be complaining."

"Hmm?"

"I wasn't the one who got zapped today. How did that feel anyway?"

"Just burned a lot. You know when you hold your hand a foot away from a hot stove? And after a while it begins to burn really bad? Something like that."

"Owie."

"I know!" she cried with a chuckle. "Can I ask a favor of you? Normally I wouldn't ask but it hurts a lot."

"Sure! It's the least I can do for you for practically housing my brother and I." Bella joked.

"No problem at all! I was wondering if you could maybe massage my right leg? I think I must've stretched my calf muscle too fall or pulled it or something. Please?"

"Sure! I used to do this for Mom." Bella said. Ms. Liberty hushed up but Bella simply smiled at her. "It's alright. It helps having told you all…it's a secret I don't have to worry about you guys finding out about anymore." She pulled Ms. Liberty's leg very carefully into her lap before beginning to massage from the knee down to the ankle. Ms. Liberty sighed and continued reading to James. The girls sat there for a good twenty minutes when a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in! It's open!" Ms. Liberty called. Sister Psyche came through, smiling at the cozy little gathering.

"How sweet." She commented.

"Whatcha need, Shalice?" Jessica asked. James giggled and blew spit bubbles. Shalice smiled at him before saying, "Well there's no work to do so I thought I'd join you three. Is that alright?" she asked.

"Sure!" Ms. Liberty said brightly. "Come on in. This comforter is massive."

Sister Psyche shook her head but at Ms. Liberty's insistence, she relented and pulled off her boots, snuggling in with the two girls. All three women talked with each other about mundane things like movies or foods, occasionally playing with James. It stayed that way for a good half hour when another knock sounded at the door and Ms. Liberty said, "Again?"

"My you're certainly very popular." Sister Psyche commented.

"Come in!" Ms. Liberty called with a grin. Synapse stepped into the bedroom glancing around before sitting on the floor.

"Look at this kid. He's getting all the gorgeous girls." Synapse fake pouted.

"Was that a compliment towards us or him?" Sister Psyche commented with a grin.

"Both." Synapse said, laughing. He had stuffed the icepack up his sleeve so the tightness of the suit would hold it in place. Around that bit of his arm he had a towel to keep it dry. The group talked, playing around and making jokes. As Synapse told a joke Bella sat back and looked around. They really were her family. It had been so long since she'd actually sat down with someone and just _talked._ It was usually small talk at the orphanage; many of the children signed up for the academy as soon as they were legal so no one really made any strong relationships there. Bella smiled at them all. Synapse, the clumsy, carefree, brother whom she never had. She knew she could always rely on him to be there for her as would they all. Ms. Liberty, the crazy, lovable sister that Bella always wished for…someone to be _girly_ with. Manticore, the stern uncle who pretended to be grumpy but always had your back. Statesman who was so like her father; strong, supportive, kind and gentle. And Sister Psyche, true to her name was the caring older sister who always watched out for Bella. _I love you guys. You've become the family that was stolen from James and I. _

Sister Psyche glanced over at Bella and under the comforter, she took Bella's hand, squeezing it gently and rubbing her knuckles. _**Speak up tonight. The party's only in a few minutes. Say something.**_

_I'm scared._

_**Of what? Come on what's the worst that could happen?**_

_You guys could reject me and think I'm a weirdo for thinking you guys are like a family._

_**Do you **_**honestly**_** think that **_**we **_**of**_** all**_** people would think that way about you?**_

_I…I suppose not._

_**Please say something tonight. Let them know and see how it turns out.**_

_Are you sure?_

_**I **_**promise **_** you that nothing bad will happen. I know them. **_

_Alright._

_**Good. Now close your mouth dear, Synapse is starting to stare.**_

Bella snapped her mouth shut and said, "What?"

"I said, 'Have you ever worn two separate pairs of shoes and not realized it?'"

"Yeah loads of times. One time—" Bella started but just then the heroes' communicators went off.

"Special meeting in the cafeteria. And bring James. We can't afford to leave him out of our sight." Statesman said with a stern face. Bella wondered why she hadn't been informed of the meeting when she mentally slapped herself; _she _was the one who was inviting everyone to it!

She got up and Ms. Liberty put on her boots, taking the baby into her arms. "C'mon James, you heard Statesman. We can't leave you alone!" James giggled and blew some spit bubbles before giggling and playing with Ms. Liberty's hair.

The group traipsed down to the cafeteria. When they walked in everyone yelled, "Surprise!" Positron shot a little harmless sparks into the ceiling. Everyone was wearing party hats, even Statesman, who had taken off his helmet for once and put on a party hat for the occasion. Synapse sprinted by and placed hats on Ms. Liberty, Sister Psyche, Bella, James and himself. James, hid his face in Ms. Liberty's hair and she laughed tickling him a little to get him to stop hiding.

"Awe he's shy!" the group laughed and Foreshadow brought out a large birthday cake. He'd written happy birthday both in English and in Chinese calligraphy. As everyone sang, James leaned down happily and blew out the candles, although a few remained lit; his little lungs didn't have enough air.

"Yay you're three years old!" Ms. Liberty squealed, bouncing him on her hip, snuggling with him when he giggled. They cut the cake and everyone enjoyed themselves. Foreshadow was happily chattering away with Positron, who'd built a translator for his suit when they had first met. Bella smiled at the group before walking over the Sister Psyche and whispering, "At the end?"

"That'll be perfect." She murmured back with a smile, turning back to Manticore who didn't question the silent exchange at all. With the cake completely gone, it was time to open presents. The boy sat cross legged on the floor and everyone stood around him smiling down at him. Synapse walked up behind the boy and leaned down low so his face was upside down, right in front of James'.

"Here ya go lil hero. Happy birthday!" he said before kissing James on the top of the head and placing a box in front of him. Surprisingly, James didn't tear into the box but rather found the folds and tore from there. He opened the box and everyone laughed when they saw a little Synapse suit. The suit was designed with two little electrodes on the back and the gloves had similar electrodes in the fingertips. The electrodes would emit tiny, voltless sparks of electricity, imitating Synapse's power. The boy squealed with delight and stood up to hug Synapse who grinned and hugged him back before setting him down.

Manticore knelt and placed a box before the boy and ruffled his hair, smiling and wishing him a happy birthday before standing back. Inside was a miniature bow with a rubber arrow. "I'll teach him how to use it later." Manticore promised, sipping some soda to hide his smile. The boy giggled and hugged Manticore as well, who awkwardly patted his back before giving in to the cuteness and giving him a proper hug. Statesman walked up next.

"Well little James, seeing as you're growing up you'll want to keep that little head of yours safe so you don't bump into anything! So I thought I'd get you this." And he pulled from behind his back a small replica of his helmet with a tiny S etched neatly into the front. James immediately pulled it on and grinned, affectionately hugging Statesman, who laughed and hugged him back, ruffling his hair.

A little robot, about five inches high was rolling towards James on two little tank tracks. It stopped in front of James and lit up, saying, "Happy birthday James! From Positron." They knew the hero had to leave soon but appreciated the gesture just the same. James giggled at the toy and continually poked the button on its stomach, prompting the toy to say different funny things like, "James is cool!"

Sister Psyche walked up and gave him a card, kneeling and kissing his cheek before saying, "Happy birthday darling." Though only James could see it, there were large flowery designs spelling out James' name in smoothly transitioning colors. Sister Psyche explained it to the others who grinned at the gift. "That's awesome!" Synapse called out.

"Jaaaaames!" Ms. Liberty squealed. She picked up the little boy, spinning him around in circles and constantly kissing his cheeks, sometimes rubbing noses with him and tickling him before setting him down. "Ooh my handsome little hero's growing up! Awe you're so adorable!" She kissed him again before giving him her gift, a large box of candy that spelled "James" and the number 3. Everyone chuckled at Ms. Liberty's affectionate behavior.

Foreshadow came next, kneeling and handing the boy a painting which was an exact likeness of the boy. Everyone awed at the artistic talent and commended Foreshadow, who understood the general meaning and thanked them in his language before turning to James. He looked as if he were trying to remember something.

"Happy…birth—birthday James. I..hope you have a good…day." He finished. It was clear he'd been memorizing the sentence and though it was very simple, Bella was touched at the thought. She was last to go now.

Bella walked up to her little brother and touched foreheads with him, saying, "Happy birthday my dear little brother."

She handed him a package, about half as big as James was, and sat back. She had been a little embarrassed about the low extravagance of her gift after seeing Positrons fancy robot and Synapse's suit but she pushed that thought out of her head.

James opened it and giggled and laughed happily when he saw the blanket. It was hand made by Bella and it had a heart with James' name in the middle. The border had a Romanian design stitched into it.

"It's not much but…I tried my best." Bella apologized. James stood up and cuddled with Bella, hugging her tightly and for as long as he could, as if the longer the hug, the more his feelings of gratitude would be shown.

"You gotta stop second guessing yourself Bella. This is amazing." Synapse said, a little awed.

"It truly is. I don't think anyone here could have thought of a better gift." Statesman agreed, coming up behind Bella and placing a hand comfortingly on her shoulder.

"I agree. It's beautiful." Sister Psyche said gently with a loving smile towards Bella.

"It's so pretty!" Ms. Liberty gushed. She sat on the floor with James and wrapped him up in the blanket. "Awe!" she cried rubbing his cheeks.

Foreshadow said something in Chinese and though she didn't know what, Bella knew he agreed with the others.

"It's very special." Manticore admitted.

"Hey uhm…can I say something? Before we end the party. I just need to get this off my chest."

"Of course you can." Statesman said, his curiosity aroused.

"Alright," Bella said with a deep breath, striding out so she could face them all. Sister Psyche gave her a thumbs up. "I just wanted to say that I love you all. With every little bit of me I love each and every one of you. You've become the family that James and I lost and I'm _extremely_ happy that you're there for me. Foreshadow I know you don't understand me but, even though I only met you a few hours ago, you're already a close friend to me. Synapse, you're like the crazy cuckoo big brother that I always wanted. And Ms. Liberty you are the one person I can be my girly self with! And Manticore, I know you're always acting stern and stuff but I know deep down…like _really_ deep down you really do care for me and I'm not just another person you have to make sure is alright…if I was then you wouldn't have shown up tonight. And Sister Psyche, what can I say that you already don't know. You're like a big sister to me, you're always advising me and looking out for me and I'm so grateful for that. And finally Statesman. You're just like my father, you're kind and you genuinely care for my and James' welfare, you're just so gentle and yet strong and supportive and I'm so glad and happy to have gotten to know all of you. It's just the most amazing thing to have a family like you so close by. I really truly love you with all my heart and I know James feels the same way." Bella finished, having cried a little at the burst of emotion.

"I…I don't know what to say." Statesman said, thoroughly surprised. Manticore was very red in the face but it was out of embarrassment not anger. Sister Psyche was looking at Bella proudly while Ms. Liberty was silently crying tears of her own, smiling lovingly at Bella.

"I love you too darling. And I promise that I'll try my level best to always be there for you." Sister Psyche said. Ms. Liberty sniffled and grabbed Bella, hugging her tightly and lifting her up easily, spinning her in a circle. Bella gave a laugh while Ms. Liberty gushed, "I love you too!" She set Bella down before picking up James and calling, "Group hug!"

Sister Psyche walked forward and wrapped her arms around Ms. Liberty and Bella, James giggling and cooing softly. Synapse came on the other side while Manticore, with a surprisingly gentle smile on his face, joined in. Statesman walked forward with Foreshadow and joined in.

The group stood like that for a little while before Bella sniffled and gave a watery chuckle. "I always end up crying in here." The group gave a warm comfortable chuckle before breaking up.

"Well…Bella…why don't you just stay with us?

"What do you mean stay?" she asked curiously. The other heroes were grinning.

"Well, I mean stay as in a part of the family. After all, families don't live apart from each other." Statesman elaborated.

"Wait like…permanently?"Bella asked quickly, her heart pounding.

Statesman smiled. Bella whooped with joy and hugged him tightly to which he laughed and hugged her back before setting her down. "Well you have your own room now. It's right beside Jessica's." Statesman informed her.

"We should all go get some sleep." Sister Psyche commented. "And you can get acquainted with your new room." She said wrapping an arm around Bella who grinned widely before looking down at James who had already transformed into a little Synapse and was ready to go. She giggled at the baby and after several good-bye's and many thank you's, she left the room. Ms. Liberty followed beside her while the others took the responsibility to clean up the wrapping paper.

"This is so awesome! You're like my sister-neighbor person now!"

"Sister-neighbor person?"

"Well there isn't a word for a sister who's living in a room next to yours is there?"

"Nope." Bella said before turning into her room and hugging Ms. Liberty. She whispered, "Thank you." in her ear to which Ms. Liberty smiled softly and kissed her cheek. The two girls went into their respective rooms and Bella looked around. The walls were all white. The floor was bare. Everything was fresh.

"New start begins with a new room I suppose." She commented to her brother, who giggled and blew a spit bubble at her.

AN: Alright. I'm gonna skip ahead a few years in the next chapter. What do you guys think so far? Positive critiques please. Thanks.


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